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George Keate
George Keate (30 November 1729 - 28 June 1797) was an English poet and miscellaneous writer. Life Keate was the son and heir of George Keate of Isleworth, Middlesex, who married Rachel (Kawolski), daughter of Count Christian Kawolski. He was the great-grandson of Sir George Hungerford, and was descended from Catherine Seymour, sister of Lady Jane Grey. He was born at Trowbridge in Wiltshire, where his father had property, on 30 November 1729, though (according to Lysons) his baptism is not entered in the Isleworth register until 29 November 1730.Courtney, 271. Together with Gilbert Wakefield, Hayley, Baron Maseres, and others, he was educated by the Rev. Richard Wooddeson of Kingston-on-Thames. On leaving school he was articled as a clerk to Robert Palmer, steward to the Duke of Bedford. He entered himself at the Inner Temple in 1751, was called to the bar in 1753 and made bencher of his inn in 1791, but never practised. For some years he lived abroad, mainly at Geneva, where he formed an intimate acquaintance with Voltaire, and in 1755 he was at Rome. His correspondence with Voltaire and Dr. Young is now in the British Museum. After settling in England Keate devoted himself to literature and kindred pursuits. He was in turn poet, naturalist, antiquary, and artist. He published a volume yearly with great regularity. Between 1766 and 1789 he exhibited six pictures at the Society of Artists and thirty at the Royal Academy.. Miss Burney describes him in her ‘Early Diary’ (i. 52, 305–7), dwelling especially on the frequency with which he was in the habit of talking of his own works. During the last few years of life his health visibly declined, and he died suddenly at 10 Charlotte Street, Bloomsbury. He was buried at Isleworth on 6 July, and a white marble monument, with bust by Nollekens, was placed to his memory on the north side of the east window, near the spot where he and his wife (who died 18 March 1800, aged 70) were buried. Family He married in February 1769 Jane Catharine, daughter of Joseph Hudson, sometime Dutch consul at Tunis, and only sister of Sir Charles Grave Hudson, bart., of Wanlip, Leicestershire. Their issue was one daughter, Georgiana Jane Keate afterwards Mrs. Henderson (1770–1850), who appears to have inherited her father's taste for art, as she exhibited four pictures at the Society of Artists in 1791, and painted from memory a portrait of Prince Lee Boo, fifteen months after his death, for her father's account of the Pelew islands. She married, on 9 June 1796, John Henderson, B.C.L. (1764–1843), of Adelphi Terrace, London, one of the early patrons of Girtin and Turner, and himself an amateur artist. She died 8 Jan. 1850, and was buried in her husband's grave at Kensal Green. Their children were Charles Cooper Henderson, John Henderson (1797–1873), and three daughters, who died unmarried. Writing Keate wrote for pleasure, not for profit. His published works were: 1. ‘Ancient and Modern Rome’ anon., 1760; a poem in blank verse, written in that city in 1755. 2. ‘Short Account of the Ancient History, present Government and Laws of the Republic of Geneva,’ 1761; dedicated to Voltaire in return for ‘many marks of esteem’ and ‘hours of social mirth and refined entertainment.’ 3. ‘Epistle verse from Lady Jane Grey to Lord Guilford Dudley,’ supposed to have been written in the Tower a few days before they suffered, 1762. 4. ‘The Alps, a Poem,’ 1763; it was dedicated to Dr. Young, and has been praised ‘for truth of description and vigour of imagination.’ 5. ‘Netley Abbey, an Elegy,’ 1764; 2nd edit. 1769, and many times reprinted with Bullar's ‘Visit to Netley Abbey.’ 6. ‘The Temple Student, an Epistle to a Friend,’ 1765, showing the hardness of his lot, doomed to pore over law-books. 7. ‘Poem to the Memory of the celebrated Mrs. Cibber’ anon., 1766. 8. ‘Ferney; an Epistle to Voltaire,’ 1768. In praise of Voltaire and his works, but with compli- ments to Shakespeare, for which the author was rewarded, in the jubilee year 1769, by the mayor and corporation of Stratford-upon-Avon, with an ink-standish made out of a mulberry-tree planted by Shakespeare, and with the freedom of the town. 9. ‘The Monument in Arcadia,’ a dramatic poem in two acts, 1773; suggested by Poussin's picture of the Arcadian shepherds and shepherdesses contemplating a monument with the words ‘Et in Arcadia ego.’ 10. ‘Sketches from Nature, taken and coloured in a Journey to Margate,’ 1779, 2 vols.; an imitation of Sterne, which passed through several editions, and was translated into French. 11. ‘Poetical Works,’ 1781, 2 vols.; they were dedicated to Dr. Heberden, and to them was prefixed Keate's portrait, engraved by J K. Sherwin from a painting by his intimate friend J. Plott, a pupil of Nathaniel Hone. This included all his published poems, with many additions, the chief of which was one canto of the ‘Helvetiad,’ written at Geneva in 1756, and intended for a description of the famous revolution in Switzerland in the 14th century. He was dissuaded by Voltaire from completing it. 12. ‘Epistle to Angelica Kauffman,’ 1781. 13. ‘The Distressed Poet, a Serio-comic Poem,’ 1787; describing his troubles through a protracted suit at common law with his architect, Mr. Adam. 14. ‘Account of the Pelew Islands, from the Journals of Captain Henry Wilson and some of his officers, shipwrecked there in the Antelope in August 1783,’ 1788; it was often reprinted (the best edition being that with a supplement by J.P. Hockin in 1803), and was translated into French (1793) and German (1800). The French translation has been attributed to Mirabeau.Courtney, 272. Some of Keate's poems are in Pearch's Collection, iii. 269–74; and he wrote prologues and epilogues for the dramatic representations at Newcome's Hackney school, besides adapting Voltaire's ‘Semiramis’ for the stage. Keate also contributed "Observations on some Roman Earthenware" to the Archæologia, vi. 125–9. Recognition He was elected a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1766. Publications Poetry *''Ancient and Modern Rome: A poem; written at Rome in the year 1755. London: R. & J. Dodsley, 1760. *An Epistle from Lady Jane Gray to Lord Guilford Dudley: Supposed to have been written in the Tower, a few day before they suffered. London: R. & J. Dodsley, 1762. *''The Alps: A poem. London: R. & J. Dodsley, 1763. *''The Ruins of Netley Abbey: A poem. London: R. & J. Dodsley, 1764. *A Poem to the Memory of the Celebrated Mrs. Cibber. London: J. Dodsley, 1766. *Netley Abbey: An elegy. London: J. Dodsley, 1769. *''The Poetical Works. (2 volumes), London: J. Dodsley, 1781. Volume I *''A Probationary Ode for the Laureateship; written in 1785. London: G. Kearsley, 1787. *''The Distressed Poet: A serio-comic poem, in three cantos. London: J. Dodsley, 1787. *''To Captain Bligh: On his return to England in 1793, after having ... executed the commission entrusted to his care, of transporting the Bread Fruit Trees from Otahite to the Islands of Jamaica and St. Vincent. London: 1794? Play *The Monument in Arcadia: A dramatic poem, in two acts. London: J. Dodsley, 1773. Non-fiction *A Short Account of the Ancient History, Present Government, and Laws of the Republic of Geneva. London: R. & J. Dodsley, 1761. *''The Temple-student: An epistle to a friend, who had requested the author's opinion of some verses. London: J. Dodsley, 1765. *''Ferney: An epistle to Monsr. De Voltaire''. London: J. Dodsley, 1768. *''Sketches from Nature: Taken and coloured, in a journey to Margate: Published from the original designs. London: J. Dodsley, 1779. *''An Epistle to Angelica Kauffman. London: J. Dodsley, 1781. *''An Account of the Pelew Islands: Situated in the western part of the Pacific Ocean''. Dublin: Luke White, 1787; London: G. Nichol, 1788. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:George Keate, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, July 25, 2016. See also *List of British poets References * . Wikisource, Web, July 25, 2016. Notes External links ;Poems *"A Pastoral Ballad" ;About *George Keate (1729-1797) at English Poetry, 1579-1830 * Keate, George Category:1729 births Category:1797 deaths Category:People from Isleworth Category:English writers Category:English poets Category:Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Category:Fellows of the Royal Society Category:World Digital Library related Category:English male writers Category:18th-century poets Category:English-language poets Category:Poets